1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a storage device, and in particular, relates to a photographic storage device able to store the photographic information of a camera.
2. Description of the Related Art
Photographic information storage devices are known which are able to write photographic information, such as the aperture value of a photographic lens, to a memory inside the camera. Photographic information storage devices are also known which transfer stored photographic information to an external storage device outside the camera. In known photographic information storage devices, when the photographer commands the writing of the photographic information to the memory, the photographic information is written to the memory with each frame photographed. When memory runs out, the shutter release is disabled, and photography is no longer possible. At this point, the photographer is able to continue taking pictures, without writing photographic information, by performing an operation which interrupts the writing of the photographic information to the memory. Further, the photographer may also clear past entries from memory, by deleting or transferring photographic information, to free up space in the memory. However, when the writing of the photographic information to the memory is interrupted, even if space is created in the memory through the deletion of the photographic information or by transfer of the photographic information to an external storage device, writing of the photographic information is not restarted unless the photographer cancels the writing interruption.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a photographic information storage device for storing photographic information in a memory which, even if storing of the photographic information to the memory is interrupted, is able to enable storing of the photographic information without a conscious operation by the photographer.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
Objects of the present invention are achieved in a photographic information storage device for a camera, the photographic information storage device comprising a memory unit to store photographic information, and a control unit to write the photographic information to the memory unit, the control unit being adapted to interrupt the writing of photographic information to the memory unit when the memory unit is full and automatically resume writing of photographic information to the memory unit when the memory unit has available space.
Objects of the present invention are further achieved in a photographic information storage device for a photographic camera, the photographic information storage device comprising a storage unit for storing photographic information, a writing unit for writing the photographic information to the storage device, a writing interruption unit for interrupting the writing of the photographic information to the storage device, a mode changing unit which enables writing to the storage device, and a canceling unit which cancels the interruption of the writing of the photographic information to the storage device when the writing interruption unit interrupts the writing of the photographic information to the storage device and the mode changing unit enables writing to the storage unit.
Objects of the present invention are also achieved by a photographic information storage device comprising a storage device for storing photographic information regarding image information stored on a storage medium, a storage command unit for commanding the storage of the photographic information to the storage device, an interruption command unit for commanding the interruption of storage of the photographic information to the storage device when the storage device is full, a canceling unit for canceling the interruption of storage of the photographic information to the storage device when the full state of the storage device has been cancelled by means of the reading in, or the erasure, of stored data, a first identification unit for indicating whether the photographic information may be stored, a second identification unit for indicating whether the storage device is full, a third identification unit for indicating whether the storage of the photographic information has been interrupted, a first setting unit for setting the first identification unit to indicate that the photographic information may be stored in response to a storage command by the storage command unit, a second setting unit for setting the second identification unit to indicate that the storage device is full when there are no longer any regions for storing data, a third setting unit for setting the third identification unit to indicate that the storage of the photographic information has been interrupted in response to an interruption command by the interruption command unit, a storage execution unit for executing storage of the photographic information in response to a photographic operation when the first identification unit indicates that the photographic information may be stored, the second identification unit indicates that the storage device is not full, and the third identification unit indicates that the storage of the photographic information has not been interrupted, a storage interruption unit for interrupting storage of the photographic information when the third identification unit indicates that the storage of the photographic information has been interrupted, a first restart unit for setting the second identification unit to indicate that the storage device is not full and setting the first identification unit to indicate the photographic information may be stored when the second identification unit indicates that the storage device is full and the third identification unit indicates the storage of the photographic information has been interrupted, and a second restart unit for setting the third identification unit to indicate the storage of the photographic information has not been interrupted when a new film is inserted.
Objects of the present invention are also achieved in a photographic information storage device which is equipped with a storage unit for storing photographic information, a writing unit for writing the photographic information to the storage unit, a writing interruption unit for interrupting the writing of the photographic information by the writing unit, and a mode changing unit for changing the area of the storage unit where the photographic information is written to a mode in which writing of photographic information is again possible.
Objects of the present invention are also achieved in a photographic information storage device for storing photographic information in a camera wherein a canceling unit cancels an interruption of storing photographic information when the film of the camera has been changed after a mode changing unit has changed the mode.
Objects of the present invention are also achieved in a photographic information storage device wherein a storage unit is located inside a camera, and a mode changing unit, which, after the stored photographic information has been transferred to an external storage device, enables storing of further photographic information in the storage unit.
Objects of the present invention are also achieved in a photographic information storage device which is equipped with a storage command unit for controlling the storing of the photographic information, an interruption command unit for interrupting the storage of the photographic information, a canceling unit which cancels the storing of the photographic information when the storage area for the photographic information is insufficient, a first identification unit for determining if photographic information can be stored, a second identification unit for determining if the storage area for the photographic information is insufficient, a third identification unit for determining whether the storage of the photographic information is interrupted, a first setting unit for setting the first identification unit to a storage mode in response to a storage command of the storage command unit, a second setting unit for setting the second identification unit to a storage area insufficient mode when the storage area for the photographic information is insufficient, a third setting unit for setting the third identification unit to a storage interruption mode in response to an interruption command of the interruption command unit, a storage execution unit for storing the photographic information in response to the photographic operation when the first identification unit is in storage mode, the second identification unit is not in the storage area insufficient mode and the third identification unit is not in a storage interruption mode, a storage interruption unit for interrupting the storage of the photographic information when the third identification unit is in the storage interruption mode, a first restart unit for setting the second identification unit to a mode which is not the storage area insufficient mode and setting the first identification unit to the storage mode when the storage area insufficient mode has been canceled by the canceling unit when the second identification unit is in the storage area insufficient mode and the third identification unit is in the storage interruption mode, and a second restart unit for cancelling the setting of the storage interruption mode of the third identification unit when the film is changed.